1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tools and more particularly to a jewelry tool for engaging a body jewelry.
2. Background of the Invention
The popularity and acceptance of body jewelry has risen sharply in recent years. Body piercings and subsequent insertion of decorative jewelry has created a demand for a variety of forms of decorative body jewelry. One of the more popular forms of body jewelry comprises a group known as “bar bell” jewelry. Bar bell jewelry is made by attaching a ball at each end of a bar. The bar may be straight, curved or circular. The balls are attached to the bar by internal or external threads. In order to achieve an attractive appearance, the balls are typically sized in the 2 to 12 millimeter range. Attaching a ball within this size range to a bar inserted through a piercing in various parts of the anatomy can present substantial difficulty to the user. The small size of the ball relative to the size of the user's fingers has presented a problem that has, thus far, not been adequately addressed by the prior art. Some examples of tools of the prior art are included below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,263 to W. F. Grote discloses improvements in a tool for safely releasing, removing and replacing the cap of an automobile radiator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,485 to W. F. Grote discloses further improvements in a tool for safely releasing, removing and replacing the cap of an automobile radiator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,242 to I. Milin discloses a bottle opener for bottles having twist-off caps including a container having an end wall with an opening therein adapted for insertion of a bottle-mounted cap therein. A cylindrical member is connected to and extends into the container from the opening. The cylindrical member is open at the end thereof opposite the opening in the end wall and has a passageway adapted for passage of bottle caps through the cylindrical member and into the container. Longitudinal ridges on the interior of the cylindrical member hold an inserted bottle-mounted cap so that turning of the container about a longitudinal axis thereof extending perpendicular to the end wall causes the removal of the cap from its bottle. Preferably the opener includes means such as resilient fingers for preventing detached caps in the cylindrical member from falling out through the opening in the end wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,025 to J. Keller et al. discloses a tool for removing radiator caps. The tool has a hollow handle and a flanged hollow face. The hollow face has a recess with a perimeter. The perimeter has a pair of opposed rectangular indentations, at least one pair of opposed arcuate indentations, and a pair of tapering indentations which interrupt the perimeter to form a pair of opposed openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,017 to M. Holman discloses a tool for use when changing the oil filter of an engine and refilling or putting oil into the engine. The tool is generally funnel shaped, having an internal surface which frictionally engages the oil filter after its seal has been broken. The tool has an extended portion of a greater diameter than the filter to catch any oil which escapes as the filter is removed. The escaping oil is channeled to the outlet portion of the funnel, to which a plastic tubing may be positioned to remove the escaping oil. The tool may then be used as a funnel to fill the engine and complete the oil changing process
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,649 to D. Eveers et al. discloses a screw holding device of elastic material having a tube-shaped top end and a dome-shaped bottom end for fitting securely over the head of a screw or bolt to insure the availability of the screw or bolt by its being held securely in the dome end's interior multiple gripping means which are easily releasable when the screw or bolt is seated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,073 to D. Kaping, Jr. discloses a cap for body piercing jewelry having a retention member for resisting passage through a pierced passageway. The retention member is composed of a plastic material. An enlarged end of a shank is anchored into the retention member with a threaded stud extending therefrom. The process to make the cap includes positioning viscous plastic material in a mold to produce the desired retention member shape. The enlarged portion of the shank is inserted and embedded into the plastic material. The enlarged portion of the shank has a pointed tip which enables the enlarged end of the shank to be inserted into the plastic material without producing visible unsightly air bubbles. As the shank is inserted into plastic material, the plastic material flows into anchors on the enlarged portion of the shank to assist in securing and locking the shank to the retention member.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,241,385 to D. Cline discloses an oil filter canister removal tool comprising a cup-shaped plastic body long enough to receive the filter therein and of sufficient diameter as to provide radial clearance between the filter canister and the top rim of the body. A snug fit can be provided by integral flutes or bonded in strips of elastomeric material. In operation the tool is slipped over a canister after the canister has been loosened relative to the engine block. The tool is manually rotated until the canister is free of the engine. The tool can be cleaned up and reused after disposal of the oil filter canister. The tool may also be thrown away with the used filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,452 to A. Tsai discloses a screw fastener assembly including a resilient sleeve sleeved on a head portion of the screw fastener in a close-fitting manner such that a free end of a shank portion of the screw fastener extends outwardly of a first end of the sleeve. The sleeve permits extension of a bit of a screw driver thereinto via a second end thereof, and is sleeved on the screw driver in a close-fitting manner. An engaging groove in the head portion of the screw fastener engages the bit of the screw driver such that the screw driver is capable of moving and rotating an assembly of the screw fastener and the sleeve until the first end of the sleeve comes into contact with a surface of an object so as to allow movement of the screw fastener relative to the sleeve and a threaded hole in the object.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,318,811 to C. Corbishley discloses a vibratory body jewelry item for attachment to the tongue or other body parts comprising one or more motor and battery casings and a post connecting said casings having various improvements including a gripping member to facilitate opening and closing of said casings, an longer lasting battery and motor combination, a kit including extra batteries and alternative casing sizes, and a band or suction cup for attaching said item to other unpierced body parts.
Although the aforementioned prior art have contributed to the development of the art of gripping tools, none of these prior art patents have solved the needs of the bar bell body jewelry art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tool for the attachment of a ball to bar bell body jewelry.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved tool for the attachment of a ball to bar bell body jewelry which reduces the skill required to attach a ball to the bar.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved tool for the attachment of a ball to bar bell body jewelry which is easy to manufacture.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved tool for the attachment of a ball to bar bell body jewelry which is low in cost.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.